This doesn't come with a catchy title

[Naevys]

Hi, everyone!

I 'm Nat, 28, student, born and raised in Germany, living in Malaysia but currently back home. I just joined the Academy today and I am pretty excited to get started! Also, this is my first forum =)

 

I am here because I  know that I could be in better shape. The problem is that I just don't know how to get there on my own.

 

It's not that I need to lose weight, I think my weight is considered healthy. However, I don't feel healthy, I don't feel comfortable in my own skin - not yet at least. As a student I usually spend many many many hours in front of my laptop and indoors and to be honest, I don't really feel the need to engage in some physical activity or to just go out and do something. I am quite content with binge-watching whatever, except for some periods (usually lasting two to four weeks) where I work out somewhat consistently (running, yoga, bodyweight exercises). Only to reverse back into my not-doing-anything routine. The result: skinny limbs with no strength, while chubby around my midsection. 

 

Also, I don't have a healthy relationship with food. This is a realisation I just made recently, or better, one that I only now have come to admit. This is the first time I actually vocalised this thought. So, I seek comfort in food. I rely on food to pick me up when I feel stressed or down. And of course, I don't turn to vegetables for that. 

 

And finally, around February this year, my skin started to go crazy. I have had oily/combination/acne-prone skin since puberty hit, but it was pretty much under control until earlier this year. I moved to a tropical, very humid climate back in August, but oddly enough, my skin started acting up only half a year later. Besides changing my skincare routine, I tried cutting out all kinds of food that could cause or enhance inflammation and drank litres and litres of water, but nothing really helped. Although it is slightly better now, I am sure that I can further improve the state of my skin by actually nourishing it with good food stuff. 

 

My what: 
Feel comfortable and confident in my body!

My why: 
I visualise what the result will look like: no more slouching, but perfect posture, no more fatigue, but feeling energetic, no more skinny-chubby combo, but an overall strong and healthy body. I am going to be that person and for that, I have to start today!

My how: 
Establish a healthy relationship to food, engage in physical activity and develop overall healthy habits in my life

My detailed action plan: 

• Improve duration and quality of my sleep. 
• Find support through this community and ideally have someone check in on me from time to time. I think accountability will help me out tremendously.
• Learn to eat healthy, to stop when I am full even though it is super delicious, and to say no to things
• Educate myself about nutrition, workout and habit-forming (currently on the latter)

 

I am so excited about this because I am going to feel confident in and with my body! I am grateful that I stumbled across NF and if you have any advice for me, I am open to suggestions and nudges in the right direction! And if you'd like to know more about me, feel free to ask (although I am pretty sure that you have enough reading material about me with this)!

 

Nice to meet you, fellow nerds =)

 

 

[Garris]

Welcome!

 

any idea what kind of training excersize your interested in, I like calisthenics and Jump rope currently.

 

Ive also been trying to fix my hunched over posture so let me know if you find anything that Works!

[Wobbegong]

Welcome to Nerd Fitness, Naevys! 

 

The few weeks on, long time off pattern of exercise is pretty common. It probably means you're biting off more than you can chew to begin with, when you feel gung-ho and enthusiastic. When that enthusiasm wanes (often due to lack of results), so does your will to keep up with the routine, and it falls by the wayside. The trick is to approach it as a lifestyle change, and integrate exercise into your daily routine slowly but surely. 

 

Food can nourish more than hunger, but if you're eating to fill an emotional need, it's important to be extra keyed-in to what you're eating. So basically, if you want to comfort-eat chocolate, do it. Just don't do it while you binge watch your favorite TV show. Pay close attention to the comfort food. Experience it thoroughly as you eat. Really enjoy it. You'll find it satisfies the need faster than you think. 

 

I'd suggest talking to a dermatologist if you can find one about your acne. Adult-onset breakouts can indicate a hormonal issue, so you may want to look into that. (More likely if the acne is mostly on your chin, I believe.) 

 

Regarding posture, try some pec stretches and shoulder strengthening exercises. You might be surprised at how tight your pecs are. This is a good one, although I usually do one arm at a time, since it makes it easier to get a deeper stretch:

 

 

Best of luck and let us know if you have any questions!

[Naevys]

36 minutes ago, Garris said:

Welcome!

 

any idea what kind of training excersize your interested in, I like calisthenics and Jump rope currently.

3

 

Thanks for the welcoming me to the crew, Garris!

 

I am following the Academy and in the past I enjoyed callisthenics, but also running and yoga. I like working out outdoors and I cycle everywhere and go hiking from time to time. 

 

36 minutes ago, Garris said:

Ive also been trying to fix my hunched over posture so let me know if you find anything that Works!

 

I remember from physiotherapy that I was told to strengthen my core and the muscles in my back. Pilates helped a lot, because it really works your core, so maybe try that! If I find something else that's cool and helpful, I will get back to you!

 

28 minutes ago, Wobbegong said:

Welcome to Nerd Fitness, Naevys! 

 

The few weeks on, long time off pattern of exercise is pretty common. It probably means you're biting off more than you can chew to begin with, when you feel gung-ho and enthusiastic. When that enthusiasm wanes (often due to lack of results), so does your will to keep up with the routine, and it falls by the wayside. The trick is to approach it as a lifestyle change, and integrate exercise into your daily routine slowly but surely. 

4

 

Thanks for the very warm welcome! It's much appreciated

 

I will keep that in mind - go slowly but steadily. Do you have any tips on how to establish the steady-part? Like, keep a journal? During my last 'on' period, I actually started one. I wrote down what I ate that day, how much I drank, how much sleep I had, what exercises or workout I did, how many reps or how long I did it and I even took body measurements once a week. What is a small way to start a journal and not get overwhelmed with that, too?

 

28 minutes ago, Wobbegong said:

 

Food can nourish more than hunger, but if you're eating to fill an emotional need, it's important to be extra keyed-in to what you're eating. So basically, if you want to comfort each chocolate, do it. Just don't do it while you binge watch your favorite TV show. Pay close attention to the comfort food. Experience it thoroughly as you eat. Really enjoy it. You'll find it satisfies the need faster than you think. 

2

 

This is really comforting and helpful!! This is what I'm talking about - actually enjoying food and experiencing it, instead of just stuffing my face with it. Thank you

28 minutes ago, Wobbegong said:

 

I'd suggest talking to a dermatologist if you can find one about your acne. Adult-onset breakouts can indicate a hormonal issue, so you may want to look into that. (More likely if the acne is mostly on your chin, I believe.) 

 

 

That's a good point, this was on my mind and then I just forgot. Thanks for bringing that up! 

 

28 minutes ago, Wobbegong said:

Regarding posture, try some pec stretches and shoulder strengthening exercises. You might be surprised at how tight your pecs are. This is a good one, although I usually do one arm at a time, since it makes it easier to get a deeper stretch:

 

 

Best of luck and let us know if you have any questions!

 

 

And again, thank you! Is this best done during the stretching/cool down phase of a workout? Or would you recommend some other time/point?

 

[Garris]

11 minutes ago, Naevys said:

 

Thanks for the welcoming me to the crew, Garris!

 

I am following the Academy and in the past I enjoyed callisthenics, but also running and yoga. I like working out outdoors and I cycle everywhere and go hiking from time to time. 

 

 

I remember from physiotherapy that I was told to strengthen my core and the muscles in my back. Pilates helped a lot, because it really works your core, so maybe try that! If I find something else that's cool and helpful, I will get back to you!

 

 

Thanks for the very warm welcome! It's much appreciated

 

I will keep that in mind - go slowly but steadily. Do you have any tips on how to establish the steady-part? Like, keep a journal? During my last 'on' period, I actually started one. I wrote down what I ate that day, how much I drank, how much sleep I had, what exercises or workout I did, how many reps or how long I did it and I even took body measurements once a week. What is a small way to start a journal and not get overwhelmed with that, too?

 

 

This is really comforting and helpful!! This is what I'm talking about - actually enjoying food and experiencing it, instead of just stuffing my face with it. Thank you

 

That's a good point, this was on my mind and then I just forgot. Thanks for bringing that up! 

 

 

And again, thank you! Is this best done during the stretching/cool down phase of a workout? Or would you recommend some other time/point?

 

 

 

Ya I'm going to go get a physio recommendation from my doctor. I've heard that If one of the rotator cuff muscles is really tight it can pull your shoulders forwards as well.

 

for food I like myfitnesspal to log my meals and my weight it shows it in a handy graph. It does have a place  to log measurements as well.

 

i also like writing down workouts in a journal. I do it like this:

 

pushups :

 

5,5,5,5

 

squats :

10,10,10,10

 

ecctentric chin ups (15 secs)

 

3,3,3,3

 

simple way of keeping track of sets and reps.

 

[Wobbegong]

16 minutes ago, Naevys said:

I will keep that in mind - go slowly but steadily. Do you have any tips on how to establish the steady-part? Like, keep a journal? During my last 'on' period, I actually started one. I wrote down what I ate that day, how much I drank, how much sleep I had, what exercises or workout I did, how many reps or how long I did it and I even took body measurements once a week. What is a small way to start a journal and not get overwhelmed with that, too?

 

I would suggest picking one or two things to track at a time. Then when that becomes routine, add another. There's no need to overwhelm yourself filling in a whole page of data for every day, especially if it is overwhelming for you. 

 

Another suggestion, as Garris said, is to make it as easy as possible for you to track. If a journal is easiest for you, do that. If an app is easier, do that instead. Give yourself license to try different things and find out what works for you and what doesn't. 

 

16 minutes ago, Naevys said:

And again, thank you! Is this best done during the stretching/cool down phase of a workout? Or would you recommend some other time/point?

 

I usually just do it whenever I remember, hahaha. During a cool down or stretching phase should be fine, you'd probably get more out of it if you're already warmed up and limber

[Caeleth]

Hey! Welcome to NF, I'm new here too

 

I can relate with a lot of your intro - I'm a student, have poor posture due to slouching over laptop/desk while working, and have yet to find a fitness routine that sticks. Your overall goal is also scarily close to mine... and I also use food as a comfort and would like to eventually improve my relationship with food, so if you have success here then please let me know!

 

Like I said, I'm completely new here so there might be more experienced people around to help and give better advice than I can, but this is what I've found so far...

 

In terms of following progress, there seems to be two main ways to do this on the forums; battle logs are ongoing journal type things to track whatever you want at the time and there's also four week challenges that offer more structure that refresh at the start of each new challenge, these might be useful if you have a few goals you'd like to make into habits. (Personally, I'm starting a battle log to get started - no idea what I'm doing with it in the long run, but for now it's just somewhere to record and track details that need improvement or could help make some SMART goals, maybe even for a 4 week challenge eventually.) I've also found the Fitbit app to be useful in tracking if you have one, though I know other apps such as MyFitnessPal are popular.  Just making bullet point lists of what you've achieved that day or little notes for food logging etc might also be helpful or even photographs of each meal

 

Here's to finally finding something that sticks! Best wishes on your NF journey

[Jon, Destroyer of Mice]

@Naevys @Caeleth

A little over a year ago, I was in a pretty similar boat with the posture and hunching over a laptop all day because of Uni. Now I'm fit as a fiddle, my back doesn't bother me, and I'm comfortable in my skin.

Just remember that every small step is still a step, and even if you're "just" doing bodyweight, it can add up. Rest days are okay, and rest weeks can be, but even when you're resting keep moving. Even if you're not working out, practice your workouts (one or two push-ups here, squat to and from the couch when watching TV, and deadlift your grocery bags).

 

In terms of slouching, the biggest help for me was back exercises. Bridges and deadlifts (even lighter ones, and especially one legged bodyweight ones) helped keep my back straight. Pullups, doorframe rows, or even exercise band rows helped keep my shoulders down and back.

 

It takes time, but y'all can do this! Keep us all posted, okay?

[Naevys]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks so much for your replies, I am super happy about each one =) Sorry I had not had any time to reply just yet but I promise to take care of that in the next 24 hours

 

Just wanted to let you know, if anyone is interested, I just created an instagram account for my foodlog quest and for accountability reasons. I will post my meals there, so follow me if you want to    https://www.instagram.com/naevys.nf/  

 

In the future, this will also be the place/one of the places where I will put my before-after-pics, and any NF/fitness related activity.

[Naevys]

@Caeleth

Thanks for the tips! I did start a food log and will do something similar for the workouts. I am just getting started so I am taking things slow.

 

@Jon, Destroyer of Mice

I did some VInyasa Yoga yesterday and am glad that I did. Woke up feeling sore, which made me super happy. There's a little soreness everywhere, including in my shoulder and upper back and that just tells me, that I did well. Looking forward to building a stronger back! I will definitely look into doorframe rows etc., thanks for the input!

[Jon, Destroyer of Mice]

I actually did a little bit of vinyasa yoga for a while too for my shoulders, and it does wonders for strength and mobility. Keep up the good work!